Purpose made me focus on the outcome, not the journey.

"To shift your perspective from what you want in life to what life wants from you"
- Reality.

Ego demanded THE outcome, faith gave AN outcome.

It's 2020, I am working at Google, being surrounded by inspiring and "high performance" individuals. While I was quite successful in what I was doing, a voice inside of me grew louder:

"This is your purpose? It is not enough, look around you, you can do more".

A voice like this is easily encouraged to grow louder in the environment I was in. A voice that in itself is not bad, not necessarily wrong. I begun to ask myself what my purpose on this planet might be. Where it gets tricky is when I - aka my ego - attached my whole identity to a goal I derived from comparison to others.

At first, I was surprised. After all, I was working for one of the highest regarded and respected companies in the world. My ego? Begged - read: yelled - to differ. Instead, it drove me crazy with "you need to be better". So I created an image of self that is a successful human being by the standards I (blindly) accepted as true and with it my ultimate goal: to be an entrepreneur to change the world for the better. At all costs. Humble much, I know.

Now before I can continue with why this is the root of a huge lesson, stay with me for a little more context:

Why is everyone searching for purpose these days?

Ah, purpose - you are one hell of a buzz-word. A fortunate very few of us magically seem to do the things that make us feel rewarded, considered successful and are therefore awarded with the seemingly highest medal of honor: purpose.

We are constantly bombarded with messages telling us that we need to find our purpose in order to be happy and successful. Purpose is not something that we find, but something that we create. And that sentence is easily misunderstood - at least by me.

So I forced a process: to create purpose, fast.

And where there is a will... there is a way. To me that meant starting a company whilst working full time. During a pandemic. Without having a stable routine, a suppporting value system or the vitality required to power through this kind of undertaking.

In short - I acted based on what I thought is expected from me, from a place where I needed to prove myself.

A good first proxy to watch out for next time? If you create a product you yourself only believe in for "logical" reasons... the ride won't be satisfying. Did it fit a purpose? 100%. My ego was happy, for a hot minute I think.

Security comes from within

The urge to "prove yourself" often comes from ego and insecurity. True security comes from within, not external validation.

Let's speak about authentic purpose

Purpose can emerge gradually through serving others, not grand achievements. Instead, I try to find small ways to contribute value daily. And I have faith that purpose will crystallize over time.

So, I learned that happiness comes from within, not external markers of success. I won't sacrifice inner fulfillment chasing arbitrary goals to impress others.

Now, I try to consider if my motivations come from ego or inspiration. Ego drives comparison, while inspiration cultivates inner wisdom.

True success is living by your values and contributing value to others. It is not confined to societal narratives or others' standards.

Heart over mind.

It is not a question for the mind but for the heart. Not an achievement to unlock but a choice to make daily. To give more than you take. To uplift others as you seek truth.

Life doesn't demand you find purpose. It asks something simpler - that you live with heart and care deeply. All you must do is quiet the ego and listen to know what life wants from you.

You were born worthy. You are enough as you are. The purpose you seek is already within you, waiting to be lived.

I've derived many principles from this lesson, amongst others the Mind, Growth and Work.

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